Trash & Plastics

Trash Data Dives: OIMA staff plan and participate in a semi-annual California Trash Data Dive. The Data Dive is an annual forum for data scientists, environmental planners, trash regulators, land use experts, and advocates for environmental justice to discuss and collaborate on trash data & policy. The goal of each Data Dive is to use trash data effectively to drive improved and equitable social and environmental outcomes. Links to information about each Data Dive are available below: 

• October 2021

• January 2021

• February 2020: Data experts made progress on products and solutions that addressed management questions from the November 2019 Data Dive. The final presentations on Trash Data Preparation, Models, and Storytelling are available as pdfs.

• November 2019: Trash Management Questions Workshop

• November 2018: Inaugural Trash Data Dive

Multimedia investigations of microplastics: SWAMP is funding work at the Region 4 Water Board to assess microplastics in surface water, sediment, and fish at freshwater and estuarine sites in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers. Microplastics abundance and composition will be characterized using microscopy and 2 spectroscopy (FTIR, Raman) methods. All field and microplastics data will be entered into the CEDEN database, and a final project report summarizing the methodological comparisons & findings will be provided. 

Plastic & trash flux: SWAMP is funding work at the Region 8 Water Board to quantify and characterize the flux of microplastics, macroplastics, and trash from lower San Diego Creek to Newport Bay. The project will also determine the rate of microplastic deposition in Newport Bay subtidal and saltmarsh sediments. Results will be published in a report delivered to the Region 8 Water Board.

Trash Monitoring Workgroup: OIMA staff are active members of the Trash Monitoring Workgroup, a volunteer group of experts advancing trash monitoring in California. The workgroup coordinates trash monitoring work across agencies and external organizations across the state. Members of the workgroup authored the trash monitoring playbook for agency staff to determine an appropriate trash monitoring program as well as the field testing report, which is a data-heavy look at the comparability & efficacy of different monitoring methods. The workgroup also hosted a Trash Monitoring Webinar Series in 2021. This workgroup is housed within the California Water Quality Monitoring Council. For more information, see the workgroup's draft charter or join the workgroup's mailing list.

CA Waterboards Trash Tracker repository: This repository paired efficient, cost-effective trash monitoring efforts with machine learning methods to assess trash in areas that could potentially enter and impair waterbodies. With this knowledge, municipalities could subsequently direct best management practices to try to reduce the amount of trash entering State waters. While the repository is currently inactive, similar trash trackers are being developed by Code for Sacramento (www.trashai.org) and SFEI (trash-detection repository).

Trash Data Model: The Trash Tracker repository (see above) was developed based on the Trash Data Model, created as a part of the 2019 Trash Data Dive. 

Citizen monitoring for trash & plastics: OIMA's Clean Water Team provides a compendium (see section 4.3) of information for the public regarding trash & plastics work in California, including field guides, publications, and links to other regional and federal efforts to assess trash & plastics.

Division of Drinking Water's microplastic research & policy: Senate Bill No. 1422 requires the State Water Board to adopt (1) a definition of microplastics in drinking water, (2) a standard methodology to be used in the testing of drinking water for microplastics, and (3) requirements for four years of testing and reporting of microplastics in drinking water, including public disclosure of those results. For more information and updates on the Water Boards work on microplastics in drinking water, please visit the Division of Drinking Water's microplastics website. 

Microplastics as a listing pollutant for the Integrated Report: Staff at the Division of Water Quality are determining the assessment suitability of microplastics data for listing purposes on the 2024 Integrated Report (Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list / 305(b) report). The data considered for inclusion on the 2024 Integrated Report must have been submitted prior to October 16, 2020 and must meet quality assurance requirements in the Listing Policy to be suitable for assessment. A draft of the 2024 Integrated Report is expected in early 2023. 

Microplastics method accreditation and assessment training for ELAP staff: The Division of Drinking Water funded method accreditation and assessment training for Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) staff at the Water Boards. As a result, the Water Boards became the first ELAP for microplastics testing in drinking water globally! Click here to learn more and apply for microplastics accreditation at the Water Boards.

Program management guide of microplastics work at the Water Boards: The program management guide is an internal document that will provide a high-level overview of the microplastics work currently underway in Water Boards divisions and offices, with references to key contacts and legislation. It is intended to guide the internal processes of the Water Boards and to summarize existing laws and regulations with regard to programs managed by the Water Boards. This guide is not yet available. Please direct questions about this guide to Jonathan Dolan, jonathan.dolan at waterboards.ca.gov

Trash Amendments Implementation: In 2015, the Water Boards adopted the 'Trash Amendments', which consist of revisions to both the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California (Ocean Plan) to Control Trash and the Part 1 Trash Provision of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries (ISWEBE Plan). In part, these revisions require compliance for trash control for NPDES MS4 Phase I and Phase II permittees. Please visit the Water Boards Storm Water Program's Trash Implementation webpage for more information about how the Water Boards regulates using the trash amendments, including monitoring guidance for trash amendment implementation. 

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI)

• SFEI microplastics program

• SFEI trash monitoring methods

Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research (MIPPR)

• MIPPR microplastics data portal

Southern California Coastal Water Research Program (SCCWRP)

• SCCWRP microplastics tools and data repositories

• SCCWRP trash pollution